Pat Parelli Discusses Horses That are Difficult to Mount

There are a couple reasons that a horse might not want you on his back. The horse may be afraid of being ridden or maybe he just doesn't like to be. In order to figure out how to mount a horse without problems or danger, you need to be able to determine if the horse is responding from fear or nervousness or if he just has a negative opinion of the process.

If your horse won't stand still to allow you to mount, beware. If you swing up onto his back anyway, it's a bit like running down a pier to jump onto a sinking ship. Problems are likely to lie ahead.

There are a couple reasons that a horse might not want you on his back. He may be afraid of being ridden or maybe he just doesn't like to be.

In order to figure out how to mount a horse without problems or danger, you need to be able to determine if he is responding from fear or nervousness or if he just has a negative opinion of the process.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks for watching!

In brief

A fearful horse needs to learn how to trust you, so your strategies have to be about not giving him a reason to fear you. Take time to establish a good relationship between you and your horse. Don?t be in a hurry to ride until he gives you the green light.

What does a green light look like when you're trying to figure out how to mount a horse? Here's your ?go? signal: Wait until he stands still so you can get on. We wish we could give you one simple answer about how to mount a horse that won?t stand still to let you on his back, but one technique doesn't work for every horse. You must learn to understand your horse as an individual and develop strategies that will work for his particular personality. That's the natural horsemanship way.

It?s impossible to relax and enjoy yourself when your horse is fretting and you're worried he may be ?uptight? the whole time: bolt, buck, whirl around, jig incessantly or hurry at all gaits, crowd other horses, or even rear. Equally important, you worry about your own safety. The fix?? Read this from The Trail Rider.

Fear is probably the least talked about issue with horseback riders.Somehow people are made to feel inadequate or stupid if they have a fear of riding, and yet fear is a very important emotion that deserves respect. Fear keeps you safe; it stops you from doing things that may harm you.